The one-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street between Church Street and Avenue Road has been transformed to reflect its status as Canada’s pre-eminent culture, tourism and shopping district. The Transformation project fits within former Mayor David Miller’s “Clean and Beautiful City” initiative, which seeks to successfully renew public spaces with the participation of everyone who lives and works nearby. In this case, that includes local businesses such as Holt Renfrew, Chanel and Williams Sonoma; the residents of luxury Yorkville condominiums;

and cultural institutions including the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum, and the Royal Conservatory of Music, each of which have been the subject of significant renovation and expansion projects over the course of the past decade. The economic, social and cultural health of cities rests on the quality of their streets, as experienced by pedestrians and motorists, residents and visitors. By this standard, the Bloor Street Transformation is a highly successful piece of urban design.

The one-kilometre stretch of Bloor Street between Church Street and Avenue Road has been transformed to reflect its status as Canada’s pre-eminent culture, tourism and shopping district. The Transformation project fits within former Mayor David Miller’s “Clean and Beautiful City” initiative, which seeks to successfully renew public spaces with the participation of everyone who lives and works nearby. In this case, that includes local businesses such as Holt Renfrew, Chanel and Williams Sonoma; the residents of luxury Yorkville condominiums;

and cultural institutions including the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner Museum, and the Royal Conservatory of Music, each of which have been the subject of significant renovation and expansion projects over the course of the past decade. The economic, social and cultural health of cities rests on the quality of their streets, as experienced by pedestrians and motorists, residents and visitors. By this standard, the Bloor Street Transformation is a highly successful piece of urban design.